


Tony Stark Deserves To Be Happy, You Dickheads

by QueenBoudicatheGreat



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: @russo bros meet me in the god damn pit, Fix-It of Sorts, Gen, I don't tell you how they fix it, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Reunions, They get their mf hugs, Tony Stark Needs a Hug, Tony Stark-centric, just that they did, trust me - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-06
Updated: 2018-08-06
Packaged: 2019-06-22 22:41:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,418
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15592380
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/QueenBoudicatheGreat/pseuds/QueenBoudicatheGreat
Summary: My completely self-indulgent reunion fic I wrote on my phone because I'm still upset about Infinity War. Exactly what it says on the tin.





	Tony Stark Deserves To Be Happy, You Dickheads

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TheOceanIsMyInkwell](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheOceanIsMyInkwell/gifts).



> This is being posted for KC because he cried and sent me nice messages when he read it first. 
> 
> Also?? I've never mentioned it before, but the two of us have an Iron Dad and Spider-Son blog called plsdonttellmay.tumblr.com so go check that out if this fic hasn't satisfied your needs (and let's be honest, we both know it didn't)

****

Tony felt like he was showing remarkable restraint since he and Steve had managed to undo The Snap. He hadn't demanded they perform the action on Titan (especially when Bruce pointed out that it wasn't guaranteed that people would reform where they disintegrated) and let everything happen in Wakanda. He hadn't bowled over everyone in his way and started building his own spaceship when it was clear that people were reforming where they disintegrated. He hadn't demanded Thor use his bifrost summoning axe to teleport himself to space when they finally got the call confirming that the Peter, Strange and the Guardians were returning to Earth. He hadn't even chewed Strange out six ways to Sunday when he managed to get him on the line. All in all, Tony had been remarkably patient the past 18 hours, but he was starting to lose his mind. 

“They'll be here soon,” Steve tried to soothe. Tony appreciated the gesture, but Steve had gotten to fall into a real life puppy pile with his two best friends as soon as they were back. “He's all right. You talked to him, remember?”

Tony took a deep breath and huffed it out as he ruffled his hair. “Yes, and I also remember him getting so worked up he somehow managed to make himself pass out.” Yes, as soon as the Guardians had managed to salvage Nebula’s ship to the point where it could make calls, Nebula had been their first contact. Luckily, Tony had been standing right next to her at the time and desperately asked if Peter was back. Instead of confirming it, they just let Peter have the call, and he proceeded to say so much so quickly that he started hyperventilating. Combined with his accelerated heart rate and high emotional state, he fainted, communicator still in his hand. Tony had obviously panicked, but Strange had assured him that before he was a wizard he was a medical doctor and would take care of Peter. It was one of the things keeping Tony from yelling at him. 

“He's fine, and we both know it,” Steve said, almost stern. “Last time they called, Quill said he was sleeping and that they'd be here within the hour. That was almost fifty minutes ago.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know,” Tony said, waving him off. A beat of silence. “God, you don't think he's gonna hate me, do you? I'd hate me if I were him.”

Steve actually barked out a short, startled laugh, and Tony turned his head to glare at him. He had the decency to look somewhat apologetic. “Sorry, it's just that's probably the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard,” he explained. “I've only met the kid in an alternate dimension, but if this Peter likes you even a fraction as much as that Peter did, he thinks you hung the stars. I doubt there's much you could do to make him hate you.”

Tony shot him a wry but genuine grin. “Thanks, Capsicle. Means a lot. I--" He would have continued, but one of the king’s guard stepped into the room, interrupting them.

“Captain Rogers, Mr. Stark, I have been sent to inform you that a ship has entered the atmosphere, and is currently landing outside.”

Tony's eyes widened, and he was frozen staring at Steve for a moment before he hopped to his feet and bounded down the hall. Before he knew what was happening, his body was covered in nanites and he was flying to the landing strip. Just in time, too, seeing as he touched down right as Quill and the rest of the Guardians were stepping off. 

“So, this is Earth these days,” he said, looking around. “Wakanda, you said? Gotta admit, I've never heard of it, but I only ever got a fifth grade education, so make of that what you will.”

“Well, I can assure you it's a long way from Missouri,” Tony grinned, stepping forward to offer his hand. He looked over Quill’s shoulder, trying to find that familiar red and blue. 

Quill took it and gave a firm shake. “I hear you're the one we need to thank for saving the universe.”

“Only half of it,” Tony joked, but the words felt empty. “Hey, you wouldn't--"

“Still on the ship,” Quill assured him. “He slept pretty much the whole way here, but the wizard guy should be waking him up now.”

“Great, let me get on board and I'll help get him up. Kid can sleep like the d-- like a log.”

“Mr. Stark!”

Tony whipped his head around to see Peter standing at the top of the stairs to the spacecraft. His eyes were wide and his hair was flat on one side from a 12-hour nap and he had drool on one of his cheeks, but he was alive and breathing and the most wonderful thing Tony had ever set eyes on. “Peter!”

Tony took a couple steps forward, but that was nothing compared to Peter, who ran down the stairs and threw himself at Tony as soon as he could. His arms were wound tight around Tony's neck and his legs clamped around Tony's waist and his face tucked away into Tony's shoulder. Tony thought for a moment that he was managing to keep the kid up through some parental rush of adrenaline, but the nanites were once again doing their job and making a pair of leg bracers. “I missed you,” came a quiet, muffled voice from right next to his ear. 

Tony wound his fingers through messy hair and squeezed Peter tight. “I missed you, too, kid. More than you know.”

They stayed like that for a solid minute or more, and Tony was starting to idly wonder what he could invent to make life with a human-sized baby koala attached to his front, when Peter started shakily unwinding his limbs from Tony's person. Peter gave him a wide, wobbly, watery smile and Tony noticed for the first time that his neck and Peter's cheeks weren't dry. Then he realized his weren't either. Peter cleared his throat. “Where's, uh, where's May?”

Tony smiled and ruffled Peter's hair before letting his arm fall around his shoulders. He realized he really didn't want to take his hands off the kid at all, which honestly made sense to him. “Don't worry, she's on her way. They had to send somebody to wake her up, and she's just as stubborn about it as you.”

Just then, he heard a frantic, “Peter!” and they both looked up to see May charging right for them. Tony let his arm drop and Peter ran forward to meet her in the middle. This time, he took the more supportive role and held her up while she draped herself over him. It looked rather practiced. The two were quiet for a moment before May choked out, “You're grounded. Forever,” and Peter let out a weak chuckle. “I'm not joking. Next time it comes time to go to space you'd better tell them ‘Sorry, I can't, I'm grounded forever.’”

“I can live with that,” Peter said, and Tony could almost hear the delighted grin that was most certainly curling over his cheeks. 

“Tony, I swear to God if you don't stop watching us hug and get over here, there's nothing in this universe that will stop me from kicking your tin can ass.”

Tony barked out a laugh before quickly striding over to take his place. He had his forehead kind of pressed against May’s and his shoulders kind of ached from being wrapped around both of them at the same time and Peter's fist was definitely wrinkling his shirt, but it was the lightest Tony could remember being in a long time. He thought about Pepper and the soft “Not yet,” she'd promised him that morning. He thought of Happy and his dumb fluffy dog he kept at the Compound. He thought of Rhodey who’d been with him every step of the way, through every awful phase Tony threw at him. He thought of Steve and the rest of the team and the fragile new relationships they were forging. He thought of that dumb, brilliant, wonderful kid from Queens who was determined to give him grey hairs and his fiery aunt and how they had opened their arms and given him more than he could ever give them in return. He squeezed his family tighter and realized something that had always seemed like an impossibility.

He was happy.


End file.
